Chat: Florida School Grades

Join an online chat with Cari Miller, a state policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education as well as a former teacher and reading specialist.
Moderated by Orlando Sentinel Opinions Editor Paul Owens and Darryl E. Owens.

It was 14 years ago that then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush launched his A+ Plan for Education, which included grades for public schools based on their students’ scores on standardized tests. This formula for education accountability has never been free of controversy, but at least a couple of events in recent months pumped up the volume of criticism. The state Board of Education altered the grading scale to reduce the number of failing schools, and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett resigned in a row over school grades in Indiana when he was that state’s education chief.

But Florida’s approach still has staunch advocates. They include the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a nonprofit launched by Bush to promote education reform at the state level.

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Thank you all for joining us! Cari Miller serves as a Policy Advisor for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. A former elementary teacher and reading coach, Cari most recently served as the Deputy Director of Just Read, Florida!, Governor Jeb Bush’s statewide literacy initiative. At Just Read, Florida!, she served in various capacities: Elementary Reading Specialist, Director of Reading First and Director of Elementary Reading. In all of her roles, her sole mission was to improve student reading achievement across the state.

by Sam Pineas, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 3:44:12 PM

Welcome, viewers. Feel free to submit your questions. We'll bet started with Cari Miller in a couple of minutes.

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 3:58:22 PM

Thanks for joining us Cari. Why don't we get started with this question: A number of school superintendents has asked the state to re-evaluate Florida’s school grading formula, which relies heavily on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores. Does the Florida system need to be changed?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:00:34 PM

Florida needs to refocus its energy on students' stagnant math and reading scores - going back to the basics!

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:03:33 PM

Is Florida’s school grading system too complicated?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:03:49 PM

Does focusing on the basics leave time for other subjects, like art and music and foreign languages?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:05:26 PM

The system has evolved over time, but due to the slowing progress of student achievement, we need a laser-like focus on what matters most and provide the information in a transparent way.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:08:06 PM

Should Floridians have confidence in the grading system when standards have been altered the past couple of years to keep more schools from recording Fs?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:10:02 PM

Yes, it does leave time for art, music, and foreign language; but the system must measure the foundational basics to learn these other subjects. Reading and math are the foundations of all learning.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:11:03 PM

What's the best argument for Floridians to support Common Core Standards?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:12:12 PM

We should have confidence in the data underlying the school grading system; however, it is the main reason we need to get back to basics to have a transparent reporting system that is more understandable and useful for all stakeholders, especially parents.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:15:54 PM

Do you think Florida will be ready to hit the ground running when Common Core rolls out?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:16:53 PM

As a former teacher I like that the Common Core State Standards create higher expectations for our students. They challenge students to read critically, write extensively and solve real-world math problems at greater capacity, raising the bar for all students.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:17:36 PM

We've heard complaints from parents, teachers and students that too much time is devoted to testing. Should Florida be cutting back on testing?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:18:13 PM

Florida K-2 teachers are fully implementing the Common Core State Standards in their classrooms this school year. Grades 3-12 teachers are taking a "blended" approach, teaching past standards and Common Core State Standards, preparing for full implementation next school year.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:21:11 PM

As a former teacher, do you think it's important for Florida to stick with its limits on class sizes?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:22:33 PM

Tests should provide information to all stakeholders to improve student achievement. The amount of tests administered varies greatly from district to district. I'm not in favor of testing for the sake of testing, but I do know what gets measured gets done.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:27:40 PM

Were there any good ideas that came out of Gov. Scott's recent education summit?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:29:04 PM

Effective teaching is more important than reducing the number of students in a class. As a parent, I would prefer to have a highly effective teacher with a larger class, than an ineffective teacher with a smaller class.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:29:36 PM

You mentioned stagnant math and reading scores. Does that suggest there's a problem in the A+ approach to education?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:31:28 PM

There were a lot of ideas presented, however I haven't seen any concrete action taken to date.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:32:59 PM

Of those ideas presented, did any strike your fancy?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:34:11 PM

School grading is a strong approach to accountability, and we need to continue to raise the bar on expectations. We've seen that raising the bar, as we've done in the past, has yielded higher results.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:37:13 PM

Florida still spends 3.9 percent less — $157 per student — on education now than it did in 2008 prior to the Great Recession. Should Florida be spending more on education?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:37:41 PM

No, we've witnessed student improvement during

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:38:48 PM

Viewers, feel free to submit your own questions.

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:40:17 PM

We've witnessed student improvement during tough economic times. It's not the amount you spend, but how you spend it. Resources should be given to policies that work.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:40:39 PM

Should Florida be offering more virtual, online education?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:41:12 PM

Regarding the Summit, it was good to see broad support for standards and accountability.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:41:46 PM

Given the turmoil in recent years in the education commissioner's job, would Florida be better off going back to an elected commissioner?

by Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:42:58 PM

Every child learns differently, and digital learning helps to provide a customized education. Providing more choices for Florida families is always a good thing.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:43:29 PM

In my opinion, the current structure provides clear leadership responsibilities and a unified vision for where the state should head.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:48:38 PM

One area of additional school choice is charter schools: Do you think charter schools should have more accountability?

by Darryl Owens, Orlando Sentinel9/18/2013 4:48:57 PM

Charter schools are held accountable just like other public schools if not more accountable (under the state's school grading system). In addition, they have district charter school agreements to help ensure the schools effectively operate and improve student achievement.

by Cari Miller9/18/2013 4:54:03 PM

This concludes our chat. Thank you for your time today, Cari. And thanks to everyone who joined us today.